That there are three cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among Tampa players is not really surprising. If there's a surprise at all, it's that there are only three cases.

A report in 2008 found that American locker rooms -- professional, college, amateur, you name it -- are awash in MRSA. The 2003 St. Louis Rams, for instance, had eight occurrences of MRSA infection among 58 players.

That's 9% for those of you counting at home.

And MRSA has affected athletes in wrestling, rugby, fencing ... even canoeing, for heaven's sake.

The Tampa Bay cluster is making headlines because ... I don't know, slow news week? And the hazmat suits are just silly -- if that's what they were. They could have just been white overalls.

The facts: Three players with the Buccaneers (guard Carl Nicks, kicker Lawrence Tynes, and cornerback Johnthan Banks) have been diagnosed with the antibiotic-resistant bug. In Nicks' case, the pathogen got into bone and he had surgery to remove the infected tissue.

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